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Saturday, 5 July 2014

Of Mice and Men
(1992)

Also known as:
Unknown
Year:
1992
Country of Origin:
USA
Predominant Genre:
Drama
Best Performances:
Sherilyn FENN John MALKOVICH Gary SINISE Ray WALSTON
Plot:
Two drifters, one a gentle but slow giant, try to make money working the fields during the Depression so they can fulfill their dreams.
Themes:
Personal change | Self-expression | Compassion
Similar To (in Plot, Theme or Style):
Unknown
Review Format:
DVD

The greatness of this story lies in its simplicity, coupled with its ability to outline profound human truths through that very simplicity. It conveys great moral philosophy in a form that is understandable to all because all human life is there.

Essentially a two-hander about loyalty, friendship, love & trust, the movie employs excellent character actors to play the various types one would expect to meet in the world of itinerant farm laborers. The love-starved farmer’s wife, the sexually-immature farmer, the not-so-bright, the lonely and the morally upright. This movie is, in particular, a deeply-felt drama about male bonding in which men open up to each other emotionally in quite a natural and unforced manner.

As the title implies, the best-laid plans… are merely dreams that keep the generalized loneliness of the various peripatetics shown here at bay. They lack the communal and familial roots that give one a good reason to get up in the morning and to keep on going - they are simply going around in ever-decreasing circles until the end of their days.

That this movie has a downbeat ending would be an understatement, but it is not entirely unexpected and is, ultimately, strangely welcome and certainly dramatically satisfying.

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